Generalizing across behavior settings can make attitudes toward social groups more extreme in the absence of new information

Abstract Previous research has shown that attitudes can become more extreme through mere thought. The present studies tested whether one specific type of thought—generalizing about a group's traits across settings—makes attitudes toward the group more extreme. We gave participants in four experiments initial information about (fictitious) foreign groups who wanted to enter the United States. The initial information concerned traits the group displayed in a specific type of setting. Participants thought it highly likely the group's traits would generalize across settings. Compared to reviewing the information given, generalizing made both negative (Experiment 1) and positive (Experiment 2) attitudes and behavioral intentions more extreme, regardless of the initial or generalized setting (Experiment 3). Individual differences in correspondence bias moderated the effects of generalizing versus reviewing on attitudes and behavioral intentions (Experiment 4). The current findings offer novel insights into how a specific type of thought can make attitudes more extreme.